Rent Margaret (2011)

Long but worth it, if you have the patience - Margaret review by CP Customer

Having been impressed by the script of Manchester by the Sea, I was curious to see Kenneth Lonergan's earlier work. He has a knack of telling tales that are true to life, even if that means it takes a while. And I loved Jean Reno in Leon. Manchester is very much about men and boys, whereas the focus of this film is all about the girl and her relationships, with boys and her mother. The cast is interesting in that the well known males, Damon, Ruffalo and Reno all play minor, yet important roles. Anna Paquin is so real, it doesn't seem she is acting. New York, and American culture also star. It is about the consequences of your actions: however minor and mundane they might seem at the time.

This film is not a great, memorable blockbuster, but if you are young, and growing up, or just want to revisit those times, it is well crafted and rewarding in the end. If you have 3 hours of your life to spare.

So now I have to watch his first

Not amazing. - Margaret review by RC

It's ok. Not worth 3 hours of your life. By the end you really don't care what happens. Possibly one that is over my head. A bit nothingy really.

After the Impact - Margaret review by griggs

Some films have to fight their way into existence. Margaret was shot in 2005, mired in years of disputes and edits, and finally slipped out in 2011 with barely a release. That it found an audience at all is thanks to word of mouth, and once seen, it’s not forgotten.

The film is sprawling and unruly, but in a way that suits it. Kenneth Lonergan builds a portrait of New York alive with stray conversations and unresolved tensions. At its centre, Anna Paquin gives a remarkable performance as Lisa, a teenager thrown into guilt and grief after a sudden accident.

Different cuts exist, but the effect is the same: raw, humane, and quietly overwhelming. Margaret is a flawed masterpiece—yet too powerful to dismiss. It rewards patience and lingers long after it ends.